A Little Rain
by Minami-san
Summary: Ryo never liked staying in one place and had spent the last year travelling through the country alongside her companion Hakkai, going back to her birthplace to retrieve a family heirloom. When she came across some wannabe Konoha ninja, Hakkai convinced her to tag along and now she can't seem to get out of damn place, especially with Team 7 and Hakkai breathing down her back.
1. Chapter 1

**Good morning, good evening, good afternoon and good day to y'all. I have a new story. Woot, woot. I wasn't planning on putting up a new story until I completed one of my other two but alas there has been some minor setbacks in my plan. So, I going to go ramble on for a bit. If you wanna jump straight into the story, go on right ahead. If you're a curious cat like myself, you can go ahead and read this.**

**I had this story idea years ago, like maybe 5 or 6. I always wanted to create my own character for the Naruto universe ever since I could remember. My character, Ryoko as she is now named, didn't really have a form. I'd kinda place her in random situations while I watched the anime and ate my cereal and wondered how the story would turn out with her. As time progressed, she became a more definite form. Hakkai joined her, she had a back story and her interactions with each character became more complex and intricate. A couple years ago, before I started my first fanfiction, I wrote random passages involving Ryoko, in notebooks, on my phone, where ever and whenever I had an idea,promising myself that I would one day write a real story about her. Most of these one shots were lost but I found a few at mid last year and, I said that I would write about Ryoko once Naruto manga ended. Little did Past Minami know that the day would come so soon and she would feel like her heart had bean torn out of her chest and she'd spend a lot of days quietly crying inside because over a decade of her entire life has ended. This was like some Harry Potter shit all over again. So, it's been a few weeks since that fateful day and i have decided to fulfill that promise I made to myself and voila, this came to life. I think it was a way to keep the story and magic of Naruto alive.**

**Anyway, I took enough of your time. I hope y'all enjoy this new story.**

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><p>"Ugh, what is all that noise?" She brushed her short white blond hair back from her face and peeked one eye open to see where her companion was. "Hakkai?" she called out.<p>

"Yes, Ryo?" A small white dragon climbed on to his mistress' lap and stared at the ground below. She began to stroke his black spine absentmindedly "It appears that people have made their way here." She adjusted her body on the branch and looked down below to see three ninja children and an old man fighting what looked like two assassins.

"This seems interesting," she grinned, silver eyes twinkling. Hakkai let out an exasperated sigh and the two watched the series of events unfold. Two of the children, boys she assumed, were fighting tooth and nail while the girl protected the old man, who seemed to be the target of all of this.

"How long do you think they will last?" Hakkai asked.

"Not long," She could detect a hundred and one faults in their offence and defense. "But those assassins are just as sloppy as the children."

"The boy with the dark hair has promise."

"Promise doesn't always mean power." Despite that, she continued to observe. The two watched the blonde boy get struck by one of the assassin. Watching this was getting painful. "Ugh. This is boring. I'm leaving." She stood up and started to jump through the trees.

"Wait!" The dragon called out and pointed at the clearing. A new character joined the mix. A man with grayish white hair and his faced covered standing over the tied up bodies of the assassins. Judging by his clothing, he was a higher rank than the children. Intrigued again, Ryo climbed down the tree to get a better view with Hakkai resting on her shoulders. The blonde boy yelled something about an oath and trying to get the poison out of him, he stabbed his hand. The older ninja said something and the blonde started to freak and run around frantically. Holding in her laughter, she watched the man look for something, presumably a bandage, but appeared he didn't have one. Scanning the surroundings, she spotted the bandage under a bush. "Ryo, what are you doing?" Ignoring a nagging Hakkai, she slipped out of the tree and grabbed the bandage before climbing up.

"Make sure you stay on my back," she instructed him and pulled out a sliver rod that twinkled in the light. Wedging the rod between the forks of two thick branches, she extended it with chakra and slowly lowered herself until she was behind the blonde and handed the bandage to the ninja.

"Ah, there it is." Without looking up, he took it and started to tend to the wound. The girl and the sulky boy noticed her and before she could even smile, the girl screamed.

"Kakashi sensei! Naruto! Behind you!" The two, Kakashi and Naruto, jumped back and all had their weapons ready and aimed at an upside down Ryo. She gave them a confused startled look and hopped off her staff before retracting it.

"Look what you have done now, mistress." Hakkai's sullen voice echoed through the clearing and he stretched his wings. Unfortunately, no one else could see the rest of him on her back and assumed the craziest thing.

"He has wings!" The blonde, Naruto cried. "And can talk without moving his mouth."

He? Ryo felt offended that he thought she was a boy. Sure her white blonde hair was cut just above her shoulders and her bangs were long and messy but it was easier to maintain than her originally long hair but she had clips in her hair. Clips were girly, right? But she was sure her white kimono top with black vectors was nowhere near anything a guy would wear. And she wore shorts and boots that where suited for a girl's figure.

"Hakkai, can you not scare the strangers?" The dragon sighed and climbed out from behind her, draping his neck over her shoulder.

"A dragon?" Kakashi stared at Hakkai

"They exist?" The dark haired sadistic looking boy muttered.

"Apparently they were of abundance a long time ago, Sasuke, but most believe that they are a myth." The pink haired girl vomited the facts out, looking pleased with her knowledge.

"That's true, Sakura. But why would a child have one? He doesn't look dangerous either." Again with the 'he'. The two companions watched the group of strangers whisper amongst themselves about them.

"I don't like how they are talking about me." Hakkai rolled his eyes and glared at them. "Master, may I kill them?" It was Ryo's time to roll her eyes. She held in a laugh as the four strangers flinched and prepared themselves for an attack.

"No, you good for nothing lizard. We're leaving." She sighed and started to leave.

"Wait!" Turning around, she saw the blonde boy run up to her. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"You gave the bandage to Kakashi sensei, right?" He lifted up his hand and grinned stupidly. "I'm Naruto. What's your name?" She couldn't help but smile at him. A complete stranger wanted to know who she was.

"Ryo and this is Hakkai." She waved her hand and disappeared into the trees.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked and everyone just watched the spot she disappeared from.

"You do know what they were." Hakkai said after they left the clearing

"I do..."

"And we will eventually have to go there."

"I know..."

"You are a real troublemaker, mistress."

"Who cares? I'll never see them again." She jumped up into the trees and went on her way.

"You do realise that you are going in the wrong direction."

"I know. I'm just not ready yet."

"You'll have to be. One day." She pursed lips together and continued on her way.

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><p><strong>Well, there is chapter 1. I hope y'all like it and I'll see ya soon.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, what's this? A second chapter. Wow, Minami you're on a roll. Haha. Nah, this is a special occasion and since it is the birth of our fave duo, Ryoko and Hakkai, y'all get a special of 2 chapters instead of one.**

**Hopefully the next one will be out in a month.**

**Happy reading!**

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><p>"There is a town up ahead," Hakkai said as she slowed down. "We could refill our supplies.<p>

"How far up ahead?"

"We'll be there by nightfall. How much money do we have left?" She pulled out their money pouch and shook it, severely lacking the sound of coins. "Looks like you need to get a job."

"Ugh, again?" She groaned and rubbed her head. "Can't you transform and do it?"

"You very well know my human form is unstable and should only be used in emergency situations."

"This is an emergency. I don't want to work." Hakkai let out a sigh and gave her one of his judgmental and condescending looks. "Okay, fine. I'll work." She hopped out of the tree and safely placed Hakkai into her backpack. She wandered about the small waterside town, going in and out of shops asking of they had any vacancies. Unfortunately, the only place with any jobs available was an inn with a restaurant. She was given the job after she explained her qualifications and was handed a uniform to get changed into.

"That looks rather... fetching," Hakkai said once Ryo was changed into her ice blue and violet uniform that was too short for comfort.

"Shut up," she growled as she tugged at her skirt, hoping it would go past her mid thighs. Failing at getting some form of decency, she tied up her hair and put her white apron. "Let's get this over and done with." She pulled out her notebook and a pen and practiced her professional smile in the mirror.

"You look like you want to kill small children and strangle rabbits for fun."

"Shut up." She pushed his head into her backpack. "And stay out of sight." Adjusting her skirt one more time, she walked out of the change room and went to get this god damn job over and done with.

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><p>It had been almost a week since she had been working in the restaurant and inn and it was like dying a slow and painful death. Hardly anyone came in and if they did it was usually old perverted men who wanted to get drunk off their face and feel her up. After being scolded for kicking one square in the stomach, Ryo had to take the sexual harassment because it was the only way she could make money, especially when they were too drunk to know the difference between a ten and a twenty for her tips seeing as pay was beyond pitiful. The inn aspect of facility was a dud too. According to the owner, tourists used to come from all corners of the globe to enjoy the ocean view but ever since some tyrant gangster man came and terrorise the townspeople, things have been difficult. Poverty and crime had increased and in turn businesses have been going downhill. The whole town was pinning their hope on the completion of a bridge. Ryoko went into the change rooms for the last time and got rid of that godforsaken uniform. She let out a sigh of relief as she changed back into her normal gear. Hakkai popped his head out of her bag.<p>

"Have we got enough?"

"Yep, more than enough! Now we can get out of here." She picked up her backpack, thanked the owner and left. As she was wandering down the streets, she heard voices. She instinctively hid behind a wall and peeked her head out. There was that blond ninja boy, Naruto, talking to a boy and his mother. He ran off yelling something and the boy went to do what the ninja said. Curious, she followed the boy. He was knocking on doors asking people to help protect the bridge. After multiple failed attempts, the kid sat at the peer looking dejected.

"Hey, kid!" Hakkai called out and hid back in the backpack. Ryo glared at him and he whispered. "Help the poor child."

"What?" He was rubbing his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

"You look... troubled." She found it hard to find the right words as she sat beside him. "Is everything okay?"

"No. No one wants to help save our town. They're all too scared."

"I'll help save it." She gave him a sweet smile and ruffled his hair.

"Are you some sort of cross dresser?" Her eye twitched when he said that and she tightened the hand that was on his skull.

"You shouldn't go around upsetting people who offer you help."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He started to squeal in pain and she let go. "No offence but how can you help me?"

"Don't question." She stood up and stretched. "Let's find more people." She began to walk away and turned around. "Do you want to be a hero or not?" The kid grinned and ran after her. They began to go door to door to everyone's home begging them to come to the bridge but most were too afraid. A few began to change their mind once they saw how enthusiastic Ryo, a complete stranger, was and decided to join them. Once others saw that, their numbers increased exponentially and soon the whole town was preparing weapons to fight and protect their home.

"See? What did I tell ya?" Ryo said with her hands on her hips. The little boy grinned as he tied strong to the side of a pot created a helmet.

"Let's get them!" He loaded his crossbow and the town marched on to the bridge. They arrived to the bridge to see the ninjas exhausted and the thugs charging at them. The boy shot an arrow, stopping the thugs in their tracks. "If you come anywhere near this island, the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got."

"Hey, Inari!" Naruto waved at him. "And Dragon dude. Hey!" She reluctantly waved back.

"Let them think you're a male," Hakkai whispered to her before. "The less they know the better."

"A hero always arrives at the last minute, right?" Inari grinned at Naruto.

"Well, maybe I can help." He pressed his hands together and made a few shadow clones. The man, Kakashi, made the same sign and several hundred copies of him appeared. The thugs were stunned shocked and ran, tails between their legs. The townsfolk cheered as they watched them leave, hopefully never to be seen again. Inari hi fived her and she patted his head in response.

"Thanks for all your help... uh. What's your name?"

"You can call me Ryo. And it was no problem." She could feel Hakkai smirking and wanted to beat his face in later but was distracted by the sudden fall of snow. Everyone looked confused as they looked up at the sky, the white flecks falling down to the earth.

"He was born in a snowy village," she heard Naruto say, as he cried over the dead boy.

"I see," Kakashi muttered. "He was a boy as pure as the snow." Everyone hung their heads in silence as they acknowledged the lives of the fallen before the people slowly started to disperse.

"Um... Ryo." She looked down and saw Inari tugging her sleeve. "Are you coming?" She shook her head.

"Not just yet." He nodded and went home with his grandfather. She stepped forward and went up to the two ninja. "Excuse me." Naruto and Kakashi turned around and she bowed politely. "I'm sorry if I gave you a fright before but I wanted to ask you some questions."

"You may ask," Kakashi said.

"You are ninjas from Konoha, correct?" They both voiced their agreement. "May I accompany you back?"

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Konoha is my birthplace and I have been meaning to go back."

"I don't see why not," Kakashi said. "Your name was Ryo..."

"Ryo Kazuki." He paused at the surname but his expression returned to normal.  
>"Kakashi Hatake." She bowed in greeting but paused.<p>

"Hatake..." She mumbled too low for anyone to here

"You can tag along. Just be ready once this bridge is complete." She bowed her head in thanks. As she was about to leave, he called out to her. "Ryo, do you have any first aid skills?" She nodded. "Good. Naruto, go help Sakura bring Sasuke to Tazuna's house. You," he turned back to Ryo and they began walking. "Any skill in pressure points?"

"Yes, sir. It's my fortè." Naruto left Ryo with Kakashi and went to help carry Sasuke.

"Hey," he grunted when Naruto pulled his arm over his shoulder. "Isn't that the kid from before?"

"Yeah, Ryo. He wants to come to Konoha with us. Apparently, that's his home."

"I've never seen him before. But he's kinda cute, not that I have a crush on him or anything." Sakura rambled on while Naruto inched his hand closer to the needle embedded in Sasuke's neck. "Don't touch that Naruto. It could hurt Sasuke-kun."

"Whaaat? I wanna take em out."

"You have to be an expert to take them out." Sasuke muttered

"Whatever." They arrived at Tazuna's home to find the white haired boy Ryo, with his hair tied up, dressing Kakashi's wounds and bandaging them up.

"Oh, hello kids." Tsunami said. "I'll make some tea."

"Naruto!" Inari came charging into the room. "Did you see how awesome I was?"

"Yeah, very awesome."

"The cross dresser helped me. That's the cross dresser."

"I'm not a cross dresser," Ryo responded while forcefully tying Kakashi's bandage. "You're done. Who's next?"

"I think Sasuke should be dealt with." He pointed at him and it took all her focus not to comment on the number of senbon in his body.

"Oh... um... okay. You're going to need some time. And quiet." She glared at Inari and Naruto for making unnecessary noise and grabbed her first aid kit. "Please follow me." Without even waiting for a response, she was up and out. With the help of Sakura, Sasuke staggered into the room where he and Naruto shared and Ryo was already there unpacking what she needed.

"Do you know what you are doing?" he asked cautiously as she approached him.

"Of course. I've studied this." That didn't reassure Sasuke but she already had a hand on a needle. "Don't worry, healing is in my blood. This might sting. A bit." While speaking she yanked out the two senbon that were through his neck and Sasuke bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. "If you want, you can cry. I won't judge."

"No, I'm good." She continued to yank out the needles and by the time she was done, his entire body was prickling in pain.

"I need you to take off your clothes. Just stay in your underwear and sit on that chair." Without any response, he stripped down and Ryo began applying some of her freshly made ointment. He hissed in pain as she rubbed it on his cuts and wounds. "I apologise if it stings." There was no remorse in her voice though.

Sasuke couldn't get his head around this kid. He showed no emotion and was saying things as if they were more of a necessity than anything else. He tried to respond as little as possible as he cleaned him up but it was becoming more and more difficult to bear.

"I wouldn't mind if you made some sort of noise. Proves that you're human," Ryo muttered to the side as she wrapped up one of his legs.

"Who are you?"

"Ryo, I thought I already said that."

"No but who are you?"

"Repeating the question in a different tone does not change its response." She moved to his arm and bandaged that up to. At least he had stopped wincing in pain.

"No, I mean. Where are you from? What do you want with Konoha?"

"I'm going back home. I have been gone for too long."

"But I've never seen you there."

"Because we've never met." She looked up and their eyes locked together. She can see the suspicion in his dark orbs as he stared through her. Not that she cared. He was another ninja wannabe who wanted to be stronger to probably beat someone up. She could feel his hate from here. She gently wrapped up his neck, her fingers sometimes brushing against his pale skin.

"Master," a sleepy voice echoed through the room and they both turned around to see Hakkai crawl out of her backpack. "Oh, it seems like I interrupted something." She could feel him smirking.

"Shut up, you stupid lizard." She threw a roll of bandages at him before turning to Sasuke. "You're done. Get dressed and go."

"How the hell do you have a dragon?"

"Family pet," she grumbled.

"Be nice." Hakkai scolded her and turned to Sasuke. "I'm more of a guardian for Ryo. Ninja pets tend to care for their masters."

"You're a ninja?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. Not like that matters." Ryo didn't have the energy to explain her life story to a complete stranger so she shut the conversation down. "Just go. Also don't overdo it, or your wounds will never heal." He pulled his shirt and pants back on and left.

"You're being awfully cold to the boy. Do you like him?" Hakkai teased.

"Shut up. You know the only reason we're going to Konoha is to get Dad's things and we'll be out of there and back to Amegakure." Her real home, so she could find out what had happened to her family.

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><p>It had been two weeks since the events of the bridge and finally it was completed. The children and their sensei went to the graves of the two men who died, Zabuza and Haku, so she had some extra time to sleep in. She had shared a room with the two boys since no one could her sex right and she had never had such a lack of sleep in her life. The blonde one was noise central, snoring through the entire night, while the other one slept like the dead. She'd spends most nights wrapped up in a blanket outside, enjoying the view of the ocean and would sometimes be found asleep there. She hardly said anything to the others. Naruto and Sakura were very curious and she answered their questions to the bare minimum, while the other one, Sasuke, didn't bother asking her anything. Maybe because she had shut him down when she was cleaning his wounds. She made sure everything was packed and Hakkai was peacefully sleeping in her pack and she went out to the bridge to find the others along with Tazuna and his family.<p>

"Thanks to you, we completed the bridge." The old man bowed his head. "This is actually kind of sad."

"Thanks for everything," Kakashi said.

"Don't worry, we'll come and visit," Naruto added.

"You... better." Inari's voice was cracking as he held tears in.

"It's alright if you want to cry."

"No I'm good. You cry, Naruto."

"Fine." Naruto shrugged. "Later." However the moment he turned around, they both burst into silent tears and the group began walking. "Let's hurry up and get home so Iruka-sensei can buy me ramen. And I can tell Konohamaru about my legendary feats."

"Sasuke-kun, how about a date when we get back?"

"No."

"B-but..."

"I'll go out with you, Sakura."

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"Ow!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to kill them, Master? They are awfully noisy and troublesome and that dark haired boy has a look in his eye I don't like. "Hakkai's threatening voice made the quiet and Kakashi chuckled.

"No, Hakkai. You can't kill everyone who annoys you."

"You didn't stop me before. You've gone soft, Master." He purposefully spoke out loud so the others would listen in. "Would you children like to hear the tale of the brutal Ryo who killed anyone who stepped in his path?"

"Yes!"

"No."

"Hn."

"I'm warning you, Hakkai," she growled menacingly. The dragon sighed and turned back to the others.

"We'll save this story for when Ryo is not here." He winked and she rolled her eyes shoving him deeper into her pack.

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><p><strong>Chapter two is now complete. I hope you like this story and I'll see you guys in a month.<strong>

**Ta ta**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Thank you everyone who has favourited and reviewed this story.**

**I decided to do my own thing and not force Ryoko ontoTeam Seven and make it that semi awkward four man squad. I've read some stories that did it well but... eh, I dunno. And then there was the other option, replace a member with Ryo. As much as I... dislike Sakura, she still is a part of the story and I have a rule to never remove an original character. So it took me a while to figure it out, but I did so I hope this works for you, my precious readers.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>"Ryo, is it?" The Third Hokage took off his hat and leaned forward. She bowed politely and stepped back to beside Kakashi.<p>

"It's actually Ryoko Kazuki. It is an honour to meet you, Hokage-sama."

"Kazuki, that name does sound familiar." He held his chin in thought. "Ah yes, Kirito Kazuki."

"That's my father. He spoke highly of you."

"He was an excellent jounin. It was a shame he had gotten injured. You were a small baby back them." She nodded. "And your family moved back to your mother's hometown, Amegakure. How is Kirito?"

"He passed away a year ago. He, my mother and my brother died in a house fire while Hakkai and I were on a mission."

"I give you my sincerest apologises, Ryoko. Is that why you're back?" She nodded.

"My father also left some important documents regarding my family in your care. He wished for me to get them if anything happened to him."

"Ah, I know what you're talking about. There are more but I need to find them first." He stood up and went to the bookshelf and pulled out a thick leather bound book filled with loose pages. He handed it to Ryoko with a smile. "Treasure this, child."

"I will." She smiled back and hugged the book to her chest.

"Another reason I called both of you here." He sat back down and turned to Kakashi. "Your father taught her father when he was a genin. I think it would be nice for you to take her under your wing." Before Kakashi could get a word out, the Hokage spoke again. "Actually, that would be rather difficult. You have Naruto and Sasuke to deal with." He rubbed his beard in thought when Ryoko piped up.

"Thank you for your consideration but I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I won't be staying long anyway."

"Nonsense, you should stay. You are of Konoha and your skills will be an excellent asset to us. This is your home after all." She couldn't argue with that, more like she didn't have the heart to argue with his kindness. "Also, Kakashi told me you have admirable skill in medicine and anatomy. That is amazing for someone of your age."

"I was taught by the best!" She grinned.

"Which brings me to my last point. You are to join the chunin exams. From the intel I have gathered you were almost at jounin level in Amegakure but here we'll have to start from scratch. Putting you through the Academy would be a waste so we will start with the exams."

"If I may, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stepped forward. "How will she be able to compete in the exams if she doesn't have a team?"

"That has been arranged." He called out to the door. "Kotestu, Izumo. Bring in the squad." Two chunin level ninjas entered followed by a boy and a girl, twins, who both had curly brown hair and dark eyes. "This is Risa and Touya Hajime. Their third member recently passed and they require one more to enter the chunin exams. You will take that place. This is Ryoko Kazuki."

"It's nice to meet you," Risa said as she shook her hand.

"Yeah, hi," Touya added.

"Now hurry up, or you'll be late for your first test." They all bowed and left the room.

"So what brings you to Konoha, Ryoko?" Risa asked her as they approached the exam hall.

"It's my hometown," she muttered. "And call me Ryo. Have you done this before?"

"Once," Touya said. "That's how we lost Yuri." They both went silent as they remembered their fallen comrade.

"I'm sorry if I am of any inconvenience."

"Don't sweat it!" Risa grinned and patter her back. "As long as you can keep up, we've been training for a year now!" She smiled and followed them into the exam hall. They gestured for her to sit in the back corner. "This spot is great because you can see everyone. There are five main villages that produce the best ninja from each country, including Konoha," Risa explained. "So those are your Iwa-nin, from the Land of Earth, Suna are from the Land of the Wind, Kumo are the Lightning Country and the Kiri-nin come from the Land of Water."

"There are other ninjas too bit from smaller villages like the Oto-nin and the Ame-nin." She looked at to where Touya was pointing to the ninja from her old home. No one would recognise her as she passed these exams years ago. Also, it helped when everyone thought you were dead. There was a loud commotion coming from the entrance and she saw the ninja kids she met in the Wave country. Naruto was happily greeting his friends and chatting loudly, completely oblivious to his ominous surroundings. She heard him call out to his mates, catching their names.  
>"Would you guys keep it down?" A young male dressed in purple with white hair and glasses approached. "This isn't a school field trip, you know. Take a look around." The rookie ninja finally took in their surroundings and finally felt the severity of the situation when they saw the glares of the other ninja.<p>

"Watch out for the group behind you," the glasses boy advised. "They're Ame ninja, from the rain village, and they've got very short tempers."

You got that right, Ryoko thought.

"Everyone's on edge, waiting to take the exam. I wanted to give you a heads up before someone snaps and beats the crap out of you." Naruto and his associates froze in their spots.

"Who do you think you are?" The blonde girl, Ino, asked

"I'm Kabuto."

"Since you seem knowledgeable about the exams, I assume that this is your second time taking them." Sakura assumed.

Kabuto chuckled, "Not second…seventh. Twice a year, going on four years now." He digs into his shinobi pouch and pulled out a stack of orange cards, "Since you're all beginners…I'll give you some vital information on what you're in for with these Shinobi skill cards."

"Are there any cards there that have detailed personal information?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto smirked. "Yes. Is there someone that interests you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Yeah."

"The information of this Exam's examinees is not perfect, but I've burned and saved them. They include information about the nine of you, as well. Tell me whatever you know about the person that interests you." He lifted a card. "I'll look for you."

"Gaara of the Desert and Rock Lee." Sasuke told him.

"Oh, you know their names." Kabuto said, sounding a bit disappointed. "That's too easy."Ryoko leaned forward, intrigued by his techniques, as Kabuto took out three cards and put chakra into the first of them. Rock Lee's picture appeared on it, along with some graphics and smaller pictures of his team members. "He's one year older than you." Kabuto started. "Mission experience: 20 D-rank and 11 C-rank. The squad leader is Might Guy. His Taijutsu skills have increased dramatically this past year, but his other skills are terrible. He got everyone's attention last year as a skilled rookie Genin, but he didn't take the Chunin Exam. This is his first time taking it, like you. His team is composed of Tenten and Hyuuga Neji."

"Next, Gaara of the Desert." Kabuto put chakra into the next card. "Mission experience: 8 C-rank and…wow, he did a B-rank mission as a Genin. Not many Genin get B-ranked missions. He's a foreign ninja and it's his first time taking the exam, so I don't have any information on him. But it seems that he has returned from all of his missions unharmed."

"He did a B-rank mission as a Genin and was unharmed?" The lethargic one, Shikamaru if she recalled correctly, asked in disbelief.

"This year, many talented Genins have come here to take this exam." Kabuto explained. "Otogakure is a village of a small country that was just made recently, so I don't have much information on them. Either way, they're all from powerful villages." Naruto lowered his head. For the first time since she met him, it looked like he was thinking, probably about the difficulty of getting through the Chunin Exam. There were many enemies, some much more powerful than him. Naruto closed his fists, but said nothing. Then he lifted his head with a triumphant yell. He placed one hand on his hip and pointed forward with the other. All the stares turned to him.

"MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI AND I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE TO ANY OF YOU!" The room fell in a deathly silence, every single person there glaring at Naruto.

Sakura gritted her teeth and glared at Naruto, "You just don't care about what you yell, do you?" One of the Oto-nins, a spiky black haired boy, threw kunai, aiming to Kabuto. Kabuto jumped backwards, avoiding them. Another Oto-nin, his face severally bandaged, appeared in front of Kabuto. He tried to punch him, but missed it. Interested in their skills, Ryoko leaned closer and watched, observing and memorising their every move. Kabuto smirked triumphantly at his ability to dodge when suddenly, his glasses broke. This didn't seem to faze him as he took them off.

"I see. So that's the kind of attack it was."

"What's going on?" Sasuke inquired, wide eyed. "You definitely dodged it. Why did your glass-?"

"It must have hit his nose." Shikamaru said monotonously. "That's what happens for trying to act like a hot shot."Kabuto's eyes suddenly widened before he doubled over and vomited.

"Sound as a weapon. Interesting..." Hakkai muttered from underneath her kimono top.

"How can you tell?" she asked quietly enough so Risa and Touya couldn't hear her.

"My senses are more acute than yours, Mistress. I mildly felt the effects of that shinobi's attack. That boy, Kabuto, better hope there isn't any long term damage done." She nodded and continued to watch the confused rookies. Sakura and Naruto ran to Kabuto's side, trying to help him while the Oto-nins stood smugly in front of them.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked him. He stared oddly for a minute before nodding.

"You're not as good as I thought for a veteran who took the exams four years running." The one that had bandages covering his face said.

"Write in this card…" The Sound nin with spiky hair, said. "The three from Otogakure will definitely become Chunin."

"Quiet down, you worthless punks!" Smoke cleared, revealing the proctors of the Exam, all dressed in a gray uniform. A middle aged man with two large scars, a cruel look and the only one who was dressed differently, seemed to have spoken. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said in a tone of authority. "I'm the examiner of the first test of the Chunin Exam, Ibiki Morino." Ibiki's eyes scanned the room looking for the reason of outburst from before. "You three from Otogakure, don't think you can do anything you want before the Exam!" He warned, raising a finger at them. "Do you want us to fail you already?"

"I'm sorry." The bandaged one feigned an apology. "I was excited, since this is my first Exam."

Ibiki smirked. "This is a good chance to say this… You are not allowed to fight each other during the exam unless given permission by the examiners. Even if the permission is given, you're not allowed to kill each other. Anyone who goes against me will fail immediately, understood?"Everyone nodded in silence, intimidated by the examiner.

The Oto ninja with spiky hair chuckled. "This Exam seems so soft and easy."

Ibiki continued. "We will now begin the first part of the Chunin Exam. Turn in your applications, take one of these number tags and sit where the number tells you to. Then we will pass out the papers for the written test."

Naruto's eyes turned white wide at the last words. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked him.

"A WRITTEN TEST?!" Naruto yelled and Ryoko giggled as she took her designated spot.

"Hey, Ryo!" Risa and Touya called to her. "Good luck." With a wink the twins went to their allocated seats.

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><p><strong>Hope y'all enjoyed that and <strong>**I'll be seeing you soon. Very soon.**

**Muahahaha \(^0^)/**


	4. Chapter 4

**Told you I'd be seeing y'all soon. Haha. I've found this story easy to write, I don't kmow why though. Maybe because Naruto is pretty amazing. Anyway, this is my gift to you. Anyway, it's like past midnight and I have a lovely shift for Boxing Day. Gonna be a ton of madness. Working during the Christmas season really gets to you. Instead of the normal background music, we have Christmad carols playing. There aren't many carols, I've noticed. I have heard so many different versions of Let It Snow I hear it in my sleep. Michael Bublè's version is the best. Also, I noticed a line in Silent Night where Baby Jesus is referred to a holy infant, so tender and mild, which reminds me of chicken. I felt bad about comparing a baby to chicken, then my coworker came up to me and said the same thing. Don't get me started on Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. All those other reindeers should be called out on work place harrassment. Santa should notice when his employees are being bullied. Next, the elves would start revolting for their strange working hours. Oh and the Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a little stalkerish. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. That does not sit comfortably with me. This happens when you hear carols on repeat for the past two weeks. You start over analysing songs that people never thought about. Damn I should really get to sleep. It's almost 1 AM. Gotta deal with Boxing Day shoppers. I get distracted way too easily like a butterfly or goldfish or whatever. Nighty, y'all.**

**Happy readings and happy holidays! **

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><p>Ryoko found herself seated beside the dark haired boy, Sasuke, that she met before. She gave him a smile which he returned with a quizzical look.<p>

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"Taking the exam, of course."

"But you don't have a team."

She pointed out the twins. "The Hokage found me one. And since I was born here, hence a citizen, I can take the exam."

"I still can't believe you're a ninja," he mumbled and turned back to Ibiki.

"The first test has a few important rules. I will not accept questions, so listen carefully." Ibiki started. "First rule is you all are given 10 points at the start. The written test consists of 10 questions and each one worth one point. This test is a deduction based one. If you get one problem wrong, you will get one point deducted. Second rule. The pass-fail decision will be determined by your team's total points. There is a reason for this. Just shut up and listen. Now that you know, let's move on to the next rule. If an examiner determines that you cheated or did something similar during the test, each action will cause you to lose two points." A few people gasped at this. "In other words, if you're caught five times you get a zero. Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully will only hurt themselves. You are all trying to become Chunin. If you're a ninja, act like a first rate one. Also, if anyone in the team gets a zero, everyone in that team will fail." She turned around to see Risa give her the thumbs up and to her far left Touya gave her a nod. Feeling reassured, she adjusted her seat and turned back to the examiner.

"The last problem will be given 45 minutes after the test begins. You have an hour for the test. Begin!" At that signal, the examination room was filled with the noise of shuffling paper as everyone flipped their tests over. Ryoko glazed her eyes over the paper and she let out a snort of laughter. This made fighting a league of samurai look easy. She was able to maybe get four or five of them but if Ryoko wanted to further her team's chance she had to get all right. She carefully looked around and saw both Touya and Risa into their exams. She scanned the exam hall and noticed the suspicious actions of the other participants.

"Hakkai," she whispered and felt the small dragon climb up her body.

"Yes, mistress?"

"How about a little expedition?" She whispered the instructions to him and lifted her shirt up so he could slide out. She felt a pair of eyes watching and she saw Sasuke staring at her, expect instead of black she was met with red. "Nice eyes," she whispered but he most likely didn't hear her because he was too preoccupied watching Hakkai drop down onto the ground and blend in with his surroundings. She patiently waited for him to return as she tapped her pen on the table. As she was about to start doodling on her paper, she heard a dull thunk, the sound of a kunai embedding itself into wood. A ninja three rows in front of her stood up.

"What's the meaning of this?!" he yelled in anger. One of the examiners leaned forward and smirked.

"You screwed up five times. You fail." The guy's jaw dropped. "Teammates of his get out of here." And with that, it wasn't long until other participants were caught and failed.

"Number 23, fail."

"Numbers 43 and 27, fail."

"Number 59, fail."

"Numbers 33 and 9, fail."

"Number 41, fail."

"Numbers 35 and 62, fail."

"Mistress." She felt Hakkai crawl up her leg and under her shirt. "I have the answers."

"Are they correct?"

"I compared with several sources and they are the most correct responses." She listened closely as he recited back the answers. Once she was done, she looked up at the clock and noticed that it was almost time for the tenth question.

"Okay," Ibiki suddenly said. "I will now give the 10th problem."But before that, there's one thing I must say." Ibiki continued. "There will be one special rule for this last question." He was interrupted by the door opening and a Suna ninja entered the room, nonchalantly. Ibiki narrowed his eyes as he swaggered back into his seat. "You're lucky. Your puppet show didn't have to go to a waste. Oh, well. Sit down. I will now explain. First, you're all going to choose if you wish to take this tenth problem or not."

"Choose?" Another Suna-nin, this time female, questioned. "So what happens if we don't take the tenth problem?"

"If you choose not to take it, your points will be reduced to zero. And there is the other rule. If you choose to take it and get it wrong… You will lose the privilege to take the Chunin Exam forever."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed and several other people in the room had the same reaction.

"What kind of dumb ass rule is that?!" The rookie with the puppy asked. "There should be those who have taken the Chunin Exam in the past!"

Ibiki chuckled. "You were unlucky. This year, I make the rules. That's why I gave you the option of quitting. Those who are not confident can choose not to take it and take the Exam another time. Let us begin. Those who are not taking this tenth question, raise your hands. After we confirm your numbers, we will have you leave." Ryoko turned to see Touya and Risa and they gave her a comforting nod. A ninja in the front raised his hand.

"Number 50, fail. Numbers 130 and 111 fail along with him."

"Me too!" Another person said standing up and soon the room was emptying as more people walked out. In the end, not many teams were left. When it seemed no one else would leave, another hand was raised.

"Naruto?" Ryoko muttered and Sasuke beside her looked moderately surprised. Naruto raised his hand and slammed it on the desk, a loud bang echoed through the hall.

"Screw you! I'm not going to run away!" He shouted. "I'll take this problem! Even if I stay as a Genin forever, I'm going to become a Hokage no matter what! We're not scared!" Crossing his arms over his chest, Naruto sat down again.

"I will ask one more time." Ibiki smirked at that inspirational outburst, "This is the choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance."

"I'm not going to take back my words." Naruto said with determination. "That's my Ninja Way!" Everyone seemed to get inspired by Naruto's words, and no one else raised their hands to quit.

Ibiki nodded. "Good decision. For the first test, everyone here… passes!"The sound of several pencils dropped. Everyone stared at Ibiki with wide eyes.

Someone stood up. "Wait! What's the meaning of that? We pass already? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki laughed. "There was no such thing to begin with. Or you can call the two-choice question the tenth question."

"Hey!" That female Suna ninja complained. "So were those previous nine problems?! It was all a waste!"

"No, it's not. The nine problems accomplished their purpose. The purpose to test each one's individual's information gathering skills."

She frowned. "Information gathering skills?"

"First, this test's purpose lies in the first rule. Your pass-fail decision is based on your teams. By giving that idea, we have given you an unprecedented amount of pressure to try and not be a nuisance to your team."

"Yes, yes, I was kind of sensing that in this test." Naruto nodded seriously.

"I highly doubt that," Hakkai muttered and Ryoko giggled.

"But these test problems cannot be solved by you, Genins. So, most of the people here must've come to the conclusion that you had to cheat to get points. In other words, this test assumed that everyone was going to cheat. So, we snuck in a few Chunin who knew the answers to be targets of cheating. But those who just cheated like a fool failed, of course." Ibiki continued. "Information can have a greater value than life at times, and in missions and battlefields information is contested with the lives of people. The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this. Getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates and village. So, we made you all gather information in the form of cheating. We kicked out those who were lacking in that field. That's what went on."

"But I still can't agree to that last question…" The sand shinobi insisted.

"But this tenth question was the main question of the first phase. The tenth question was a "take or not take" choice. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it failed with their teams. If you chose to take it and could not answer it, your right to take the exam would have been taken away forever. It was a very insincere problem. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance because there is a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future… fools that carry a light determination like that have no right to become Chunin. I'm saying that you here who have chosen to take it gave the right answer for the difficult tenth question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face. You have broken through the entrance. The first phase of the Chunin Exam ends now. I wish you all the best." Just when the intense atmosphere had finally disappeared and everyone let out a sigh of relief, someone crashed in the room through window. Kunai were thrown into the wall, lifting a big red flag with and a purple haired woman stood before them.

"Heads up, kids! This is no time to be celebrating!" she announced. "I'm going to be your next examiner! Anko Mitarashi!" She glared fiercely at everyone, "Ready for the second test?!" She raised her fist in the air. "Good! Then let's go! Follow me!"Nobody moved, for they were still too stunned to even comprehend what had just happened.

"You're early…again" Ibiki said, coming out from behind the flag. Anko blushed in embarrassment before look before examining the room.

"78? Ibiki, you let 26 teams pass? The first phase must have been too soft!"

"It looks like there are a lot of excellent students this time."

"Oh, well… I'm going to make more than half of the teams fail the next phase."

"Fail more than half?" Hakkai muttered. "Intriguing..." And Ryoko rolled her eyes while Anko smirked evilly.

"I will explain the details tomorrow. We will go somewhere else, so ask your Jounin teachers about the rally point and time. This is all. Dismissed!" They got up and left and as she approached the door, she was jumped on.

"Well done, Ryo!" Risa gave her a squeeze and Touya patted her shoulder.

"For a first timer, you kept your cool."

"Yeah, but that was really... challenging," she said, honestly.

"It's only going to get harder than that." The twins ushered her out where she came face to face with Naruto.

"Hey, Ryo! Did you do the Chunin Exams?!" he gasped. "Wait you're a ninja?"

"Sorry, kid. We got some secret training to do." Risa winked, pushed Naruto out of the way and dragged Ryoko after her.

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><p><strong>Reviews and favourites would be very much appreciated, thank you. I hope to see y'all back in a month.<strong>


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